Belarus Has No Solution To Transit Of Foreigners Through Land Border With Russia

Belarusian authorities have no solution to the issue of transit through Belarus-Russia border by foreign travelers.

At present Russia does not allow the entrance of third-country nationals who travel from Belarus by car, bus or train.

The issue was brought up at the parliamentary meeting on 16 October.

According to the Head Of State Border Committee, the Russian side insists that foreigners should cross the border only through international border checkpoints (which are not present at Belarus-Russia border – note BelarusFeed):

“So third-country nationals would be turned around.”

Such a situation is bad for Belarus as a tourist destination, one of the MPs remarked.

Belarusian authorities, namely the foreign ministry, have been trying to work out the solution with the Russian side, but without any success so far.

When asked if Belarus could open at least one international checkpoint on the eastern border, the Head Of State Border Committee said the Belarusian side sees no necessity in it. However, the official agreed that the impossibility for foreigners to transit the border by land is a difficulty.

The two countries have been negotiating the mutual recognition of visas for several years. So far, this only applied to travalers during the 2018 World Cup. Some travelers call Belarus-Russia border ‘the strangest one’ in Europe.